Roller skate



Oct. 13, 1964 R. M. CUMMINGS ROLLER SKATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 11, 1963 m w w A W W M, N\ \\\\\\\\\\\\v "w WW Y QWQv-QQR QQWN N H mm NM Q NW? rg m v t Oct. 13, 1964 R. M. CUMMINGS ROLLER SKATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 11, 1963 ATTORNEYS tionand from the appendedcla'ims.

clearly shown in the arsasrz ROLLER SKATE Roger M. Cummings, 41d E. 4th St, York, Nehr. Filed (Pct. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 315,513 3 (Ilaims. (Cl. 230-1L19) This invention relates to a roller skate and, more particularly, to an improved construction for steering the skate while simultaneously reducing the strain on' the skaters legs during turning.

, ing leg strain is employed to actuate means interconnectmg the front and rear Wheels of the skate to provide a steering arrangement.

It is therefore an object of this inveniton to provide an improved roller skate construction for interconnecting the front and rear wheel trucks of the skate by means responsive to the'skaters weigh. tocontrol the relative positioning of the trucks therebyappropriately steering the skate. V t

.Another object of the invention is to provide an improved roller skate construction for reducing the strain on the skaters legswhile the skate is being steered.

Ancillary to the immediately preceding object, it is a further object to provide an arrangement for'adjusting the skate construction in accordance with the weight of the skater tornore effectively reduce the strain on the skaters legs during cornering.

A'still further object is to provide means for selecting the amount of relative displacement of the interconnected frontand rear wheel trucks which may be achieved in response to a particular manipulation by the skater. 7

These and other objects of the invention willbecorne more apparant when considered in light of the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the inven- The illustrative embodiment is accompanying drawings wherein: n i v FIGURE -1 is aside elevation view of the improved roller skate construction which constitutes the invention; FIGURE 2 is a front elevation view of the roller skate construction of FIGURE 1; U FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of the roller skate i v 1 50 FIGURE 4 is a vertical elevation view in section of construction of FIGURE 1;

United States Patent O the roller skate construction taken along line 44 of FIGURE 1; I

FIGURE 5 is a fragmented vertical elevation view in section of the wheel actuating mechanism taken along.

line 5-5 of FIGURE 4; and a FIGURE 6 is a fragmented vertical elevation view in section of the mechanism for adjusting the roller skate in accordance with the skatersweight, taken along line a e of FIGURE 1. a

Briefly, the invention comprises a roller skate 'construction combining two unique features in a'manner which distinguishes this construction from those pre-.

viou'sly known. The firstfeature relates to a tilting'action forthe purpose of reducing strainon the ankles of the usenof the skate during cornering. The second feature pertains to a mechanism for guiding or 'steeringthe skate by appropriate manipulation of the weight of the skater.

The first feature, is achieved by inounting the base, plate of the'skate on afshaft for'rotation about an axis which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the skate.

Theshaft cooperates with a spring arrangement which 3,152,8l2 Patented Get. 13-, 1964 normally holds the base plate in a horizontal plane. When the weight of the skater is positioned,- asin cornering, to tilt the base plate thereby rotating the shaft, the strain of this movement is absorbed by the spring rather than by the legs of the skater. Adjusting means are provided to regulate the torsion of the spring in accordance with the weight of the skater.

The feature of assistingthe turning action of the skate by manipulating the skate wheels is accomplished by connectingjthe base plate to a linkage which is operatively associated with the wheel axles associated with-the front and rear Wheel trucks. the linkage moves the forward wheels in the direction or the turn while simultaneously pivoting the rear wheels in the opposite direction thereby permitting the skate wheels to smoothly describe an arc ontlie skating surface. The linkage is adjustable to regulate the amount ofturning which maybe achieved by a given amount'of tilt of the base plate. I

Now that the structurehas'been briefly described, the details thereof will be set forth. The first feature of the invention may most clearly be described with refer ence to FIGURES 1 through 3. In FIGURE 1 there is illustrated aroller skateconstruction of the shoe' type in which the shoe portion is shown generally at' 1'0 and the'skate portionat 12. Although this description is made with reference to the roller skate of the shoe variety, it will also be apparent that the invention is applicable to the other standard type skate in which the skate portion is clamped ontoconventional footwear.-

The skate portion 12'comprises a base plate'l l'on which the skater is supported. To the base plate there are attached a. pair of spaced downwardly projecting bosses 16 and 17. These bosses extendinto U-shaped slots 18 with in journalblocks-Z-d. The bosses 16 and 17 are provided with apertures which are coaxialwith bore holes22 and V tion therewith. This may bedone by keying these two members together as illustrated at 26 of FIGURE 4. Projecting'downwardly from the journal blocks are shafts; 28. To each'of these-shafts there is connected for rota tion'thereabout a wheel axle lit). 'The attachment illustrated is one wherein the axle rotates with respect to the.

underside of the journal block and is attached, tothe' shaftZS by means of a washer and nut. At: the-outer: ends of the axles there are provided wheels 32. The x wheels and; axles form front and rear wheeltrucks.

Coiledabout the shaft .24 intermediate the journal blocks 20 is a spring 34. The forward end of thisspring is fastened to the shaft 24 bypassing the spring end through a hole bored transverselyof the axis of the shaft; A at 35. The other end. of the spring is operatively con nected to acylin'drical shaft 36 extending through the enlarged aperture aperture in boss17 and bore hole 23"- to be positioned coaxially'about the rear end of shaft24.

' The rearward portion of shaft 36 passes through an aperture provided in aplate- 32% mounted to the underside of the base plate :14. Pivotally attachedtothe bottom of plate 38 is 'a"two-endd locking device id, more clearly shown in-rroonns. This locking device cooperatesi' with a gear-like "disc 4lmounted-forrotation withshaft- 36.] The outerjend of shaft .36 is formed wi-thasquare headdZ over which a key (notshown) may be positioned? to rotate shaft 36 with respect 'to shaft 24; Vfhen the: I lock 40 is released, the'shaft 36 may be rotated in:eith'er I When the base plate is tilted,

' U-shaped configuration of the slots 18 therein.

iii

tion of the weight of the skater. Accordingly, for a heavy person, the torsion in the spring required to return the base plate to the horizontal position is appreciably greater than is necessary for a lighter skater. Accordingly, the shaft 36 is rotated to properly set the skate by an amount which is afunction of the skaters weight. To assist in properly adjusting the skate, a calibrated indicator (not shown) may be mounted on the plate 38 so that the skater may adjust the torsion of spring 34 in accordance with hisweight.

Now that the structure of the first feature has been set forth, that structure associated with the second feature of the invention will be described. Suitably mounted to the journal blocks 20 is a U-shaped channel member 44, shown most clearly in FIGURE 4, the web of which lies in a horizontal plane just above the spring 34 longitudinally of the skate. The flange elements of the U-shaped member extend downwardly. On opposite sides of the channel member 44 are spaced pairs of projecting elements 46. These projecting element-s are resilient for a purpose to be described hereinafter. Pivotally connected to the lower ends of the projecting elements 46 and 48 are bell cranks shown generally at 50. Each of the bell cranks comprises a first arm having spaced apertures 52 therein at the end of the arm remote from the pivot 48 and a second arm having a slot 54 therein. To each of the axles 30, adjacent the wheels 32, there is attached a .pair of ball and socket joints 56 as shown in FIGURES 2, 4 and 5. Connected to the ball and socket joints are internally threaded cylinders 58. Mounted for longitudinal movement with respect to cylinders 58 are threaded this arrangement a linkage is achieved between the base plate and the wheel assemblies.

Now that the structure of the skate has been set forth, its operation will be described. During the forward movement of the skate, thebase plate14 is in a substantially horizontal plane due to the distribution of the skaters weight and the effect of spring 34. In this position the wheel axles 3i? areparallel' and extend transversely to the longitudinal axis of the base plate. :However, when the skater decides to negotiate a corner, his weightis adjusted to'tilt the base plate downwardly on oneside in a direction which will constitute the inside of the curve to be described. This is shown in dash lines in FIGURE 2. The tilting action is limited by the configuration of the bosses 16 and 17 which have projecting edge portions 66 at their undersides which engage the journal blocks at positions defined by the generally This stopping means prevents the base plate from being tilted to an extent whereby it may contact the wheels. As the skater tilts the base plate as described, the plate 14 and shaft 24, connected thereto as a unit by bossld, rotate to place the coil spring '34 in torsion. This spring thereby absorbs the strainof the curve which would, in conven tional skates, be absorbed bythe ankles of theskater".

Simultaneously, the tilting of the plate lowers the positions 62 is translated to the bell cranks 5d through pins 64 to pivot the forward bell crank in a counterclockwise direction and the rear bell crank in a clockwise direction. This bell crank action pivots the forward axle 3 in the direction of the curve and the rear axle 32 in the opposite direction thereby allowing the wheels to describe an are which is a function of the amount of tilting of the base plate 14. The elevation of the opposite projection 62 assists in this operation by pivoting the forward bell crank in a clockwise direction and the rear bell crank in a counterclockwise direction. The ball and socket joints 56 mounted on the axles 3t) and the resilient projections sisted in its movement to the horizontal position by means tion of the projection '62 on the side of the skate on the inside of the curve and raises the projection 62; on the outside of the curve. The dropping of one of the projecof the spring 34 such that the skate wheels will straighten remove the skate forward. The movement of the plate 14 to its position in a horizontal plane returns the bell crank linkage to its normal position thereby pivoting the front and rear wheel trucks so that they are oriented for straight line movement. The slots 54 in the bell crank allow for the relative movement between the front and rear wheels during the turn. The plurality of apertures 52 in the bell crank serve as an adjustment to control the amount of turning which may be achieved for a given amount of tilt of the base plate 14. The use of the adjustable arm 6% connecting the bell crank to the ball and socket joint and to the axle is necessary since these apertures 52, in the neutral position of the roller skate are at diiferent distances from the axle.

The above described embodiment is illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the invention but is not intended to limit the possibilities of insuring steerability of a roller skate and a reduction of strain on the legs of the skater during cornering. The embodiment disclosed herein is an example of structure in which the inventive features of this disclosure may be utilized, and it will become apparent to one skilled in the art that certain modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

, What is claimed is:

1. In a roller skate construction of the type having a base plate for supporting the skater and front and rear wheel trucks connected to the underside of the base plate, the improvement comprising means for pivoting said base plate about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said base plate, spring means operatively associated with said pivoting means, said spring means normally maintaining said base plate in a horizontal plane and responsive to the pivoting of said base plate by the skater to store energy to support the skater and to assist in the subsequent restoration of the base plate to the horizontal plane; and means interconnecting the front and rear wheel trucks and the base plate, said interconnecting means responsive to thepivoting of said base plate to pivot said wheel trucks with respect to the baseplate thereby controlling the direction of movement of the roller skate; said interconnecting means comprising a downwardly extending projection from said base plate intermediate said front and rear wheel trucks, a support means, a first bell crank pivotally mounted to said support means intermediate the projection and said front wheeltruck, one arm of said first bell crank being pivotally connected to said projection and the other arm being attached to said front wheel truck; a second ,bell crank pivotally mounted to said support means intermediate the projection and said tions thereby pivoting said wheel trucks in opposite directions.

2. In a roller skate construction as defined in claim 1, the improvement further comprising means for adjusting the effective lengths of the second arms of said bell cranks to vthereby vary the amount of pivotal movement of said wheel trucks for a given amount of pivotal movement of said base plate.

3. In a roller skate construction of the type having a base plate for supporting the skater and front and rear Wheel trucks connected to the underside of the base plate, the improvement comprising means for pivoting said base plate about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said base plate, spring means operatively associated with said pivoting means, said spring means normally maintaining said base plate in a horizontal plane and responsive to the pivoting of said base plate by the skater to store energy to support the skater and to assist in the subsequent restoration of the base plate to the horizontal plane; and means interconnecting the front and rear Wheel trucks and the base plate, said interconnecting means responsive to the pivoting of said base plate to, pivot said wheel trucks With respect to the base plate thereby controlling the direction of movement of the roller skate; said interconnecting means comprising a pair of downwardly extending projections from said base plate on opposite sides thereof, said projections being positioned intermediate said front and rear Wheel trucks a support means, each of said projections having associated there- Wheel truck; said interconnecting means responsive to the pivoting of said base plate to pivot in opposite directions the first and second bell cranks associated with each projection, the lowering of one projection by the pivoting of said base plate also resulting in the pivotal movement of its associated first bell crank in an opposite direction to that of the'iirst bell crank associated with the other projection which'is raised by the pivoting of the base plate, the resultant movement of the bell cranks thereby pivoting said wheel trucks in opposite directions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,703,936 3/29 Jervoise zen-11.23

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,413 5/76 Great Britain. 2,242 .8/76 Great Britain.

A. HARRY LEVY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A ROLLER SKATE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TYPE HAVING A BASE PLATE FOR SUPPORTING THE SKATER AND FRONT AND REAR WHEEL TRUCKS CONNECTED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BASE PLATE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING MEANS FOR PIVOTING SAID BASE PLATE ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID BASE PLATE, SPRING MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PIVOTING MEANS, SAID SPRING MEANS NORMALLY MAINTAINING SAID BASE PLATE IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE AND RESPONSIVE TO THE PIVOTING OF SAID BASE PLATE BY THE SKATER TO STORE ENERGY TO SUPPORT THE SKATER AND TO ASSIST IN THE SUBSEQUENT RESTORATION OF THE BASE PLATE TO THE HORIZONTAL PLANE; AND MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE FRONT AND REAR WHEEL TRUCKS AND THE BASE PLATE, SAID INTERCONNECTING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE PIVOTING OF SAID BASE PLATE TO PIVOT SAID WHEEL TRUCKS WITH RESPECT TO THE BASE PLATE THEREBY CONTROLLING THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE ROLLER SKATE; SAID INTERCONNECTING MEANS COMPRISING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING PROJECTION FROM SAID BASE PLATE INTERMEDIATE SAID FRONT AND REAR WHEEL TRUCKS, A SUPPORT MEANS, A FIRST BELL CRANK PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO SAID SUPPORT MEAN INTERMEDIATE THE PROJECTION AND SAID FRONT WHEEL TRUCK, ONE ARM OF SAID FIRST BELL CRANK BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID PROJECTION AND THE OTHER ARM BEING ATTACHED TO SAID FRONT WHEEL TRUCK; A SECOND BELL CRANK PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS INTERMEDIATE THE PROJECTION AND SAID REAR WHEEL TRUCK, ONE ARM OF SAID SECOND BELL CRANK BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID PROJECTION AND THE OTHER ARM BEING ATTACHED TO SAID REAR WHEEL TRUCK; SAID INTERCONNECTING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE PIVOTING OF SAID BASE PLATE TO PIVOT THE FIRST AND SECOND BELL CRANKS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS THEREBY PIVOTING SAID WHEEL TRUCKS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. 